


Out West

by CuriosityRedux



Series: Dragon Drabbles AU's [17]
Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Wild West AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-28
Updated: 2018-11-28
Packaged: 2019-09-01 17:25:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16769593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CuriosityRedux/pseuds/CuriosityRedux
Summary: She's heard this guy is good with horses.





	Out West

**Out West**

**-**

“This guy better be good,” Astrid muttered, pacing the length of the stables with a scowl more dangerous than the revolver dancing skillfully through her fingers. “I ain’t wasting my time waiting for some charlatan.”

“He’s the best I know,” Fishlegs assured her. His hands fidgeted along the brim of the hat in his hands, though, and he gave a nervous sniff. “He just has a knack for… not being on time.”

Astrid Hofferson ran her tongue over her teeth and turned on her heel. Extending her arm, she aimed her weapon at the sign hanging from the stable’s doorway. Fishlegs leaned away, cringing in expectation of the blasting gunshot. But she only mimicked the fire with a whistled breath. Her eyes narrowed at the sign as she lowered the revolver, and her pretty mouth curled at the corner.

She sighed and ran her forefinger along the high-necked collar of her blouse. Sweat dampened the starched fabric and irritated the fair skin at her throat. “You can tell him where I’m stayin’,” she told the stable manager, slipping her gun into its holster. “I got—”

She was suddenly interrupted by the sound of hoofbeats, and the two squinted out into the bright afternoon sunlight. A black blur flashed by the stables, followed by a shout of, “Woah, Toothless! Woah!” Dust clouded in, swirling and glittering at their feet. Amused laughter ricocheted over a horse’s whinny. 

Astrid shot Fishlegs a look. The blond man was smiling with relief.

Hiccup Haddock (the third, she’d been informed) had been talked up so much by her managers and the Ingermans that she’d been expecting some crotchety old geezer spouting priceless wisdom. The young thing that dismounted from a tall shadow and stepped into the stables was so wiry and spry that she’d lifted a brow at first sight of him. He was near her age, clean-shaven and a little handsome as he adjusted his chaps around his hips. His smile was crooked as he nodded a greeting, and he led in the most beautiful black stallion she’d ever seen in her life. Hiccup Haddock sported a half-limp and bright green eyes. She found both incredibly interesting. 

“Hiccup!” Fishlegs blurted, stepping forward to introduce the two. “Miss Hofferson, this is Hiccup Haddock. He’s the best man for any of your horse problems, I can assure you.”

Her eyes swept from the famed horse tamer to his steed and then back. She extended her hand to him, and his palm slid smoothly into hers. His handshake was weaker than hers, and by the quirk of his mouth, he knew it. 

“Astrid Hofferson,” she said tersely, still evaluating. “I’m with—”

“Ruffnut and Tuffnut Thorston,” Hiccup finished for her. “We’ve heard plenty about you. Sharpest eye on this side of Kansas, and too dangerous of a lady to be kept waiting. My apologies.”

She cracked a smile, withdrawing her hand to cross her arms across her chest. In her experience, smart men complimented her skill before her face. “Forgiven.”

“And this is Toothless,” Fishlegs told her, gesturing to the monstrous black beast. “He’s likely as fast as your Stormfly is pretty.”

It wasn’t that Toothless was exceptionally tall or broad, but he had the fiercest gaze she’d ever seen on a horse, and a coat darker than a puddle of oil. It made him both impressive and intimidating, two qualities she admired in a stallion. His sense of presence made up for his rider’s lack of one, and he gave a proud sniff when she reached up to give his long nose a pat. 

“Stormfly’s her name, then?” Hiccup jerked his chin towards the curious mare who’d stuck her head out of her pen at the commotion. 

Astrid gave her own horse a wink over her shoulder. Though they’d only been paired together for performance reasons, the girl and her mare had grown close. They were kindred spirits, both blonde as sunshine and mean as cats to anyone who got too close. 

“She’s gotten skittish,” she explained to the young man. Crossing over to the pen, she raked her fingers through Stormfly’s perfectly combed mane and scratched at her favorite spot. “Never had a problem with guns ‘til recently. Now she panics whenever I fire. Nearly threw me during a show— we had to change the program and keep her out of the ring before we had an accident.”

“Hmm. We know all about accidents, don’t we, bud?” Hiccup approached slowly, and Toothless harrumphed at the diverting of their attentions. 

The stallion gave an indignant little prance as his rider began whispering to her mare. An odd noise caught her ear, and she cut her glance away to search for the source of it. She found the culprit of the metallic thud— a dirt-coated prosthesis attached to Toothless’ back leg. It scraped against the ground and gave a faint creak under his weight. 

So the stories were true. She hadn’t thought to ask. 

Astrid glanced up at the horse whisperer from beneath her lashes. Hiccup Haddock was half tall tale and half scary story, it’d seem. Attractive in an odd way and sharper than he looked at first glance. It was awfully rude to ask about a man’s past, but he stoked a curiosity in her that wasn’t easily roused. There was a reason her show traveled. Nothing much interesting could keep her in place for too long. 

Berk, though— with its dusty pastures and brow-raising characters. If this Hiccup Haddock could do what everyone claimed, then she might find a reason to stick around. Maybe. 


End file.
